Jolene found a real estate agent in Manhattan—most major publishers were based there, and she wanted to live close by rather than waste time commuting.
The agent showed her several places based on her requirements. The expensive ones were out of her budget—she’d go broke in no time—and the cheaper ones either had poor school districts or weren’t safe enough.
In the end, Jolene made a firm decision and chose Battery Park City.
The average rent for a one-bedroom there was about $2,000 a month. It was in NYC’s District 2, with good public schools from kindergarten through 8th grade—and most importantly, it was one of the safest neighborhoods in Manhattan. Mother and daughter would feel secure there, without constant worry.
With her goal set, the apartment hunt went smoothly. She finally settled on a high-rise apartment in a light-gray building. It had been built over a decade ago, but the exterior was still clean, with neat dark-brown aluminum window frames on every unit.
Below the building was a small plaza paved with gray tiles, where many residents sat on black metal benches soaking up the sun.
Following the agent inside, Jolene entered the one-bedroom unit. It had an L-shaped layout—about 700 square feet—with a small entryway.
There was a built-in shoe cabinet on the left, and the living room had floor-to-ceiling windows facing south. It was around 3 PM, and the sunlight poured in warmly—great natural light.
The bedroom was on the right side of the living room, with a built-in sliding-door closet against one wall. It faced east and also had excellent light.
The kitchen was open-plan, separated from the living room by a beige quartz island.
There was only one bathroom, and the rooms weren’t huge—about 150 square feet total—but the moment mother and daughter saw it, they exchanged glances. They both loved it.
The neighborhood was great. The space was small, but every area got beautiful light, and Jolene valued good lighting—she wrote every day, and poor light would strain her eyes. Plus, it was simple and easy to clean.
“Do you like it?” Jolene asked.
Emma grinned, showing her little baby teeth, and nodded hard. “Mommy, Emma likes it here!”
Jolene made the decision on the spot and signed the lease.
Back at the agent’s office, she signed the rental contract. The unit was managed by the agency on behalf of the landlord, so no need to meet the owner. She paid six months’ rent plus one month’s security deposit—a total of $14,000—wiping out more than half of her $20,000 savings.
Jolene grimaced slightly, but reminded herself that more money would come in, and what was left would cover living expenses for at least a few months.
With a place of their own, mother and daughter went back to the hotel, packed up their luggage, and moved in.
The apartment came with only basic furniture. Jolene would need to gradually add more—but that could wait. First, they needed to survive.
It didn’t need to be fancy, just clean. They split up and started tidying.
The previous tenant had already cleaned, and the agency hired professionals to do a deep clean, so the place was spotless. They still needed to put their clothes away, buy bedding, and get basic kitchen supplies like pots and pans.
Emma took charge of her own little clothes. Jolene gave her the bottom shelf of the closet—the only one she could reach.
“This is all yours. You can put anything you want in here,” Jolene said.
Now that she had her own space, Emma was thrilled. She copied her mom’s moves, folding her clothes and stuffing them in, then cramming in her checkers, board games, and jump rope too.
Jolene raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop her. If the kid felt it was hers, she’d put everything she owned in there.
Once they’d organized everything, Jolene took Emma out for pizza at a nearby restaurant.
Now it was just the two of them again—but they finally had a home of their own. Emma wore a smile on her face.
Kids know they have to behave when staying at someone else’s house so their mom doesn’t lose her job. Emma had always been a little tense, but now her smile was much more relaxed.
Jolene didn’t waste any time. She took Emma to Macy’s and bought everything they needed in one trip, calling a taxi so they wouldn’t have to carry it all home.
Both of them were exhausted. After washing up, they hit the bed and passed out immediately—they even forgot to read a picture book.
After two busy days of settling in, Monday morning arrived. Jolene took the lease, Emma’s vaccination records, and identity documents to enroll her in school.
Emma was still preschool age, and Jolene didn’t want to start her too early—if she couldn’t keep up, it might affect her confidence.
And Emma really was a bit smaller and thinner than other kids her age. Jolene made a silent vow to get both of them healthier.
Before, Giovanni did all the cooking and Jolene couldn’t really interfere. But now, mother and daughter could eat whatever they wanted. Jolene even drew up a menu and let Emma order.
In her past life, she’d never had a regular job and always cooked at home. Her food wasn’t fancy, but she could cook—and she did it quickly, since cooking took too much time. After meals, she’d take a nap, and by 2 PM, she’d be back at it, writing alongside her writer friends online.
At least she cooked for herself, unlike those who ordered takeout every day.
Back then, it was just herself to feed. Now she had Emma, and she was determined to get her nice and chubby—she needed to brush up on her cooking skills.
Remembering how Ben was always shown up at school, Jolene had already planned: once Emma started school, she’d make fancy rice balls every day—with smiley faces, princess shapes—enough to make the other kids jealous. Hmph.
While waiting for Emma’s school application to process, Emma couldn’t attend class yet, so she tagged along with her mom to Dell Publishing.
The office was on Broadway. Jolene didn’t have a phone yet, so she just went straight to find Garden.
She gave his name at the front desk, and the receptionist called him. Soon, Garden came walking out briskly.
He looked just as Jolene had imagined—young, with fluffy brown curls and a few rebellious strands falling across his forehead. He seemed like a recent college grad, maybe 23 or so, with healthy ivory skin. He wore a light blue shirt and khakis, spoke quickly, but had a friendly face—very approachable.
When he spotted her, Garden flashed a bright smile and shook her hand. “Hey! Finally meeting you in person. You know, when I found out you were moving to New York, I was so surprised! Let me tell you, you’ve got amazing drive—just like Maria!”
As he rambled on, he finally noticed the little girl beside Jolene, who’d been looking up at him with a pouty expression the whole time.
She’d been sizing him up, but she was so short that Garden hadn’t felt her gaze until just then. He covered his mouth. “Oh my God—this is your daughter? She’s adorable! What’s her name?”
Emma looked up at her mom, trying to read her expression to decide whether she should tell a stranger her name.
“Her name is Emma,” Jolene said with a smile, then turned to her. “Emma, this is Uncle Garden. Say hello.”
Emma obediently said, “Hello, Uncle Garden. I’m Emma. Nice to meet you.”
It was the first time Garden had met such a well-behaved child. Her voice was so soft that he immediately crouched down to her eye level. “Nice to meet you too. Oh, I have candy in my office—would you and your mom like some?”
“Thank you, Uncle Garden,” Emma said, eyes wide.
“This is the publishing house—it’s not huge, but we have editorial, design, and distribution departments. My desk is over in editorial.” Garden led them to his office area. The office was fairly busy and a bit noisy, and nobody paid much attention to the mother-daughter pair passing through—this kind of thing probably happened often.
Garden didn’t have a private office—he shared a large open workspace with other editors. When Jolene walked in, a few colleagues glanced up briefly and looked away.
Garden pulled over chairs for them, acting like an old friend. “Sales for the new book are decent—meeting expectations, especially without any promotion. We’re reaching out to the movie team right now—it could be a great cross-promotional opportunity, a win-win. I’m sure they won’t say no. Also, when would you like to do an in-person signing?”
“I’ll wait until Emma starts school—otherwise, I have no one to watch her,” Jolene said directly.
Bringing a kid to a book signing would be inconvenient, and Garden understood.
“There’ll be a self-introduction at the signing. You can prepare something in advance,” Garden said.
Jolene nodded, and they chatted about a few other things.
Garden learned that Jolene’s new one-bedroom had only basic furniture and was missing a lot of essentials. He volunteered to help her haul things.
Initially, Jolene wanted to save money, but then she thought—a comfortable home would give her a better mindset to start her third book. So she agreed.
That’s how friendships worked—you help each other out, give and take, and grow closer.
Jolene just hadn’t expected Garden to be even quicker than she was. That very day, right after work, he came straight to pick her up and take her shopping…
Jolene: “…”
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